Drummer Brian Sachs is ready for his second act. His first band The Authority was on the cusp of making it as they played with Spin Doctors, Dave Matthews Band, and Blues Traveler back in the 90s. Now Sachs and Shelby Kemp on vocals, Tonin on guitar, Zach Johnson on bass, and Chris Spies on keys are ready for their next chapter. Their new band Mynd Reader is ready to release their new EP called Sunday Drive. It’s an honest, raw southern sounding project that picks up where Kings of Leon left off.
I talked to Sachs about the project, their influences, and what is next for the band.
How did the band form?
So back in the 90s I was in the band The Authority and we were from the NYC scene on the Lower East Side. That’s where Blues Traveler and Spin Doctors were from. There was such vibrancy in music back then. I left the music business and moved out to Colorado. The Authority were on to something. Dave Matthews opened for us and we played some gigs with Phish. We were right there but couldn’t cross that finish line.
The band’s sound is a mix between the Black Crowes and Kings of Leon.
When I left the music scene in the 90s, I followed the Black Crowes. I was a groupie. I saw them at least fifty times.
The Sunday Drive EP is coming out on October 16. How is this one different from your previous self titled project?
We weren’t even thinking of releasing Sunday Drive and we went to a radio studio and decided to play these songs stripped down. I formed a friendship with producer Michael Brauer, who is a seven time Grammy winner and our singer suggested that we record the songs. Brauer produced the album.
Michael Brauer came out of retirement to produce the new album. What was that experience like?
He was amazing. He hears the sound of the band and Michael wanted to get that raw, organic timeless feeling and he felt that if thought that if this was stripped down and easy on the ears, that Sunday Drive could really resonate with a lot of people.
I believe in the timelessness of music. What connects all of us in our humanity—these songs are about love, friendship, loss, celebration. These songs at what any age you are at it will resonate with you. It’s timeless; that’s what we were going for.
What’s the Mynd Reader live experience like?
The radio guy said that we sound exactly like the record. That’s why we recorded the EP in a day and a half. It’s that rock and roll playing. Shelby has one of the best voices.
What’s next?
We are doing a tour to support Sunday Drive. We just finished thirteen songs and all they have to do is be mixed. We are putting together our second album called Soundtrack of Life, which will be out sometime next year.
